DSC Practical use --- How do you use it?

Boat Guy

Well-Known Member
May 15, 2013
2,289
Who knows? Could be Cali, Oahu, Florida, Annapolis
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400 DA
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CAT 3116s
When DSC first came out I thought it was a great feature....Got an MMSI number, etc...Read up about all the features of position req., etc...

I think it's great for making a distress call, but do any of you use it for boat to boat, etc?

I was thinking about adding my MMSI to a handheld and thought about the advantages / disadvantages to using the same MMSI or getting another one for the HH. The disadvantage is I guess your friends would need to program in both. The advantage is you can poll both for position info...

So how do you use it in real practical sense?
 
i have to say i only used it once with a buddy for testing after we made our radio licence and first time lerned both our boats have dsc . i never used it in everyday boating
 
I thought it would be very useful but so few friends upgraded to the newer VHF and texting is what everyone does and is fast and universal...

MM
 
Exactly.... I was thinking about how it would be functional and considering it's limitations with "line of sight" I don't think it would have the range to get make it useful... Then I was thinking, "what can't be done with a cellphone these days?"

I guess if Armageddon hits and cell service is down or not near a tower it might be helpful...Just wandering what everyone else does...Seems a bit like a novelty.
 
My best regular application so far: tracking my kids when they are using the dinghy.

I got a DSC-capable hand-held and got it's own MMSI. When the kids (9 and 12) take the dinghy they can a) call me, and b) I have a method to track them. I set the handheld to automatically reply to position requests. I often trigger a position request via my fixed mount and their location show up on the chart plotter.

Lessens the Admiral's anxiety and doesn't risk a phone going in the drink.

I would love to call my father in law via DSC when we go away on trips together. We always need to talk at some point and it would be nice to do a "direct dial". Alas, his radio is not DSC capable.
 
I also played around with it right after I got my VHF with it, by calling other boats that I programmed their MMSI into my address book. Never used it again that way. The major reason to have it is for emergency use. Press the red button and the coast guard knows who you are, what boat your are in, exactly where you are, and that you are in distress or have an issue.
 
You have me thinking about a phone “DSC” app using the gps on the phone its more reliable I’d think. We all have phones on us
 
How far are they really when you track them? Since the HH antenna is likely close to the surface I'm wondering about range. Do you find they are out of sight and you can still "ping" them?
Yes. They can be several miles away, in a cove that's not line of sight.


Edit: I added a chart and measurement of how far they have been and still had the DSC location request work. We moor in Port Jefferson, and they go around the bend into Conscience Bay. Direct line is 1.4 miles. The land in between us them is wooded and has some low hills. They also go into Little Bay and to the deeper cove to the east.

Mooring.jpeg
 
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I guess if far enough from shore it
My best regular application so far: tracking my kids when they are using the dinghy.

I got a DSC-capable hand-held and got it's own MMSI. When the kids (9 and 12) take the dinghy they can a) call me, and b) I have a method to track them. I set the handheld to automatically reply to position requests. I often trigger a position request via my fixed mount and their location show up on the chart plotter.

Lessens the Admiral's anxiety and doesn't risk a phone going in the drink.

I would love to call my father in law via DSC when we go away on trips together. We always need to talk at some point and it would be nice to do a "direct dial". Alas, his radio is not DSC capable.
This is interesting. Hand held floats I assume. What brand did you get? Although the chance of my teenaged girls having a phone fall from their fingers is less than 0...
 
I guess if far enough from shore it

This is interesting. Hand held floats I assume. What brand did you get? Although the chance of my teenaged girls having a phone fall from their fingers is less than 0...
I have the Standard Horizon HX870. Yes, it floats. Also if it falls overboard a "find me" LED light automatically turns on. Max transmit power is 6 watts. I think the "current" model is the HX890, but am unsure of the difference.

I don't really want my kids carrying their phone in the dinghy. They can very easily get wet. I did, however, pick up a waterproof phone pouch from West Marine that works pretty well.
 
I have the Standard Horizon HX870. Yes, it floats. Also if it falls overboard a "find me" LED light automatically turns on. Max transmit power is 6 watts. I think the "current" model is the HX890, but am unsure of the difference.

I don't really want my kids carrying their phone in the dinghy. They can very easily get wet. I did, however, pick up a waterproof phone pouch from West Marine that works pretty well.
Gotta ask. Do your 9 and 12 year old's actually have their own phones?
 
You have me thinking about a phone “DSC” app using the gps on the phone its more reliable I’d think. We all have phones on us

DSC is tightly regulated and the MMSI is registered to the radio and there is a communication protocol for transmission. An emergency DSC distress signal not a one station to one station call, it’s a broadcast. So likely won’t be a cell version any time soon.
 
I have the Standard Horizon HX870. Yes, it floats. Also if it falls overboard a "find me" LED light automatically turns on. Max transmit power is 6 watts. I think the "current" model is the HX890, but am unsure of the difference.

I don't really want my kids carrying their phone in the dinghy. They can very easily get wet. I did, however, pick up a waterproof phone pouch from West Marine that works pretty well.

The advantage of VHF is the broadcast. Anyone in radio ear shot can hear and respond or relay. Much much better for marine safety. Cell phones are not a substitute.

The range practically is much more than line of site with reflection from clouds etc. I can hear boats across peninsulas and many miles away. With mayday relay calling the range is infinite (if you don’t know what that means, take a marine radio course).

You can also use your VHF for a call to a land line or cell. Very pricey call though.
 
I intend to use DSC in distress situations. The handheld is programed with the same number for times we might have to abandon the boat. Cell service is often -0- where I boat anyway so I don't consider it lifesaving equipment especially when bobbing around in a life jacket.
 
I intend to use DSC in distress situations. The handheld is programed with the same number for times we might have to abandon the boat. Cell service is often -0- where I boat anyway so I don't consider it lifesaving equipment especially when bobbing around in a life jacket.
Woody, do you have an epirb?
 
I don't even make phone calls if I can avoid it. I'm a "texter". I record the MMSI's of my friends and have been relentless in nagging everyone I know to get hooked-up, but really just for safety reasons.

I've made a few DSC calls, but mostly to try it out. I've used position requests and they can be useful when traveling with other boats, but not always. One guy's radio answers me automatically, but I've also been told that in incoming request sounded an alarming tone, and another friend can't figure out how to "allow/accept" a position request. (or he's just saying that to avoid being radio stalked - who knows?)
 

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